BY A STAFF REPORTER: Russian President Vladimir Putin won 87.17 percent of the vote, according to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.
Nikolai Kharitonov of the Communist Party of Russia came second with 4.1 percent of the vote and Vladislav Davankov of the New People's Party came third with 4.8 percent. Leonid Slutsky, the candidate of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), received only 3.15 percent of the votes counted.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been sent to power for another six years. The hardline former spy paved the way for becoming the longest-serving Russian leader in more than 200 years.